Replacement
by MoonlitxAngel
Summary: Reflecting on the past can bring more hurt to the front of your mind... Can reliving that past experience make him realize the truth or will he fall? Part 2 now published !
1. Replacement

_**Missing**_

Ulrich looked out the rain stained window of his and Odd's dorm room as he hugged his legs closer, curling into a ball. He'd had that nightmare again…. The nightmare he didn't tell anyone about…. The nightmare that he didn't want to believe was real….

_"Daddy, can we go to the park tomorrow?" Ulrich asked his father one clear afternoon._

_ "Did you ask your older sister if she wanted to go? And what about your brother?" his father asked the then seven year old with a small smile._

_ "Anna said she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend and Henry would rather play soccer with his friends. He never plays with me anymore," Ulrich stated, looking up at his father with hope filled eyes. Maybe his dad would finally spend some kind of quality time with him instead of focusing on his artistically gifted older sister or his athletically gifted twin brother._

_ "Did you help your mother out today?"_

_ His father was avoiding Ulrich's original question. That was normally bad news…. "Yes, Daddy. I helped Mommy with the dishes and I took out the trash with a little bit of help."_

_ "What do you want to do at the park?"_

_ Yes! Finally some sort of hint that he might take Ulrich somewhere! "Play on the playground and maybe go fishing. I think learning how to fish would be cool."_

_ "I'll have to ask your mother, but if she says it's okay, then you and I will go to the park tomorrow, okay?"_

_ Ulrich nearly jumped for joy, but knew his father would just laugh and tell Anna and Henry about Ulrich's reaction so he just excitedly nodded. He gave him a quick hug before running inside to tell his mother._

_ "Ulrich, please don't run in the house," his mom commented as he raced into the living room._

_ "Sorry, but I'm excited. Daddy said he'd take me to the park!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with the joy of his dad finally saying yes to doing something with him._

_ "Really? That's good to hear," she told him, patting the spot on the couch beside her._

_ As Ulrich had grown up she'd been the primary caregiver to him. Her husband was too wrapped up in taking care of Anna or Henry and making sure that they didn't miss practices or classes or anything of the sort while Ulrich was left in the dust, not having found his talent yet._

_ Henry was only seven, but he was sure to become a huge pro athlete some day. He had the inborn talent for it. He'd been running around learning how to play games since the twins had been toddlers. It had been cute seeing him toddle around the house when they were three pretending to play baseball as he'd seen his dad watching it on TV._

_ Anna was the oldest at the age of thirteen. She looked much like her mother and had been artistically gifted. She'd first gotten an interest in art when she was seven, much like Henry had picked up his interest in sports at a young age. She'd begun painting, locking herself in her room for hours trying to perfect her skill. It wasn't until she was eleven that her talent bloomed. She did beautiful paintings and photos and had won many awards._

_ Ulrich had so far shown no talent whatsoever to his father. They'd tried so many different things, but there was nothing that Ulrich seemed to be good at. They'd tried sports, but Ulrich hadn't picked up on that like Henry had. He'd tried painting, but always managed to do something wrong according to Anna. He'd tried just about everything that his seven-year-old hands could do, but nothing seemed to work. His father put all of his focus into Anna and Henry at that point and had left Ulrich to talk with his mother. It was horrible._

_ "Don't forget, Ulrich, that Daddy and I love you very much," his mother whispered, kissing the top of his head._

_ "But Daddy never tells me that…. He never sits with me when I have nightmares and he rarely ever takes me out anywhere…. I think he doesn't like me…." Ulrich whispered to his mother, hiding his face in her shirt so she couldn't see his tears._

As Ulrich had grown up he'd come to realize that his father was ashamed to have a son like him. He had these two wonderful children, Anna and Henry, and then he had Ulrich who had no inborn talent like the other two. He was different and that made him unwanted….

"Ulrich, what're you doin' up?" Odd asked from the bed across from him, shifting to face the brunet.

"Just thinking…. Go back to sleep, Odd…." Ulrich whispered to his roommate. He couldn't explain to Odd nor his other friends…. He wasn't even sure if this was true….

_That night after dinner, as his mom tucked him and Henry into bed, there was some noise from downstairs._

_ "Mommy, what's that noise?" Henry asked from the bed across the room from Ulrich's._

_ "It's probably just the heater or something. I'm not sure, but I'll ask Daddy, okay?" she told him, kissing both boys on the forehead and then standing in the doorway. "Good-night boys."_

_ "G'night Mom," both replied._

_ She shut off the light and then made her way to Anna's bedroom. "Honey, it's time to turn off the lights."_

_ "I have to finish this picture, Mom. I don't think the inspiration to finish it will hit me again," Anna stated, not even bothering to look up at her mother._

_ "Alright, but you'd better have the lights out and be in bed in an hour," she sighed. She knew that arguing with Anna wasn't going to get her anywhere. Her daughter was too hot-headed for that. She would do it whether her mother approved or not._

_ "I promise that I'll have the lights out by eleven, alright?" she answered, glancing her mother's way._

_ Nodding, Mrs. Stern shut the door. She didn't know that this would be the last time that she saw her daughter's face…._

Ulrich didn't want to believe that the story was true, but he still had Henry's old baseball and the drawing that Anna had been working on that night…. He'd pieced together the whole story from what he'd been told by other people. Mainly by his parents and neighbors that they'd lived by during that time in his life.

_When he couldn't sleep he rolled over and looked at the clock. It was past midnight and there were more strange noises coming from downstairs. "Henry?"_

_ Henry rolled over and looked his twin brother in the eye. "Something's wrong…. There's something happening…."_

_ He nodded in fear, creeping out of his bed to open the door a crack._

_ "Anna, you'd better leave with me or I'm setting your whole house on fire," a familiar voice from downstairs threatened._

_ "My father would know as soon as you did it. You don't just get to the top of a corporation like he did for nothing and of course he's going to have the house protected against things like this for those nastier competitors," Anna retaliated, sounding as if she wasn't going to believe Jonah (the boyfriend)._

_ "Oh, you wanna try me?" Jonah asked, a clicking noise came to both the boys' ears._

_ "Anna!" Henry exclaimed, running down the stairs. He took his shoe and kicked it toward Jonah, knocking the lighter out of his hands and causing it to fall to the ground and crack._

_ Ulrich watched from the door of their room, too frightened to be as daring as Henry. He didn't want to go and alert their parents because Jonah might realize that Ulrich was upstairs and moving. The very thought scared the small seven-year-old._

_ "So the little baby brother comes to save the day, huh?" Jonah asked, messing with something behind his back._

If only he'd been faster or gone to his parents then what happened next wouldn't have happened….

_"Get out of our house, Jonah," Henry commanded as he stood as tall as he could in front of Anna._

_ "You shouldn't mess with matches, kid," Jonah stated before dropping a lit match on the floor._

_ See, earlier when Henry had knocked the lighter from Jonah's hands he didn't realize what a flimsy thing the lighter was. It cracked and had leaked lighter fluid onto the floor. When the lit match hit the lighter fluid the two siblings went up in flames._

_ Jonah laughed. "If I can't have you, Anna Stern, then no one can have you and your little brother can die with you as well as the rest of your goddamn family."_

_ Ulrich watched as Jonah fled the scene, too terrified to move as his siblings' screams echoed through the house._

_ His mother and father ran out of their bedroom. His father ran straight for Anna and Henry to try and put the fire out and their mother ran for Ulrich, covering his eyes as his siblings began to burn…._

_ Months later and many calls and preparations made they held a funeral for the two children…._

That wasn't right though and he knew it…. He'd been playing this façade too long to have realized until now that he'd even mixed himself and his twin up…. His father was always yelling at Henry for his grades and how he couldn't do what Ulrich could do. Ulrich was the amazing twin and Ulrich was the twin that had died….

_As the funeral progressed he was forced to watch as relatives, friends, and neighbors alike were led to believe that it was him who died in the fire and not Ulrich…. Ulrich was the one that had died, but his father lied, living in the fantasy world where his star son was still alive and the one he never wanted was the one that was being laid to rest…._

He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Would Ulrich have lived the same life he did now with the same friends and such if he hadn't died in the fire and Henry had? He wasn't sure and there was nothing that was going to change the fact that Henry Stern had had to take on his twin brother's identity for the sake of his father's sanity….

The father that had finally promised to spend some quality time with Henry had been living in the lie that Henry had died a long time ago, but the truth was that Henry was the one alive today and that Ulrich had died…. Ulrich had been the athletic one and the more important one…. Ulrich had been the one that their father favored and showered with love and affection while Henry was left to spend time with his mother….

Henry Stern was no longer…. He could never be himself because he had to keep up this façade for as long as his father lived…. He had to do it, because he couldn't stand his father being so disappointed….

"Ulrich, you're still up…?" Odd asked, rubbing his tired eyes and looking to the brunet.

Henry…. His name was Henry! He wanted to shout that to Odd, but Odd wouldn't understand…. "Yeah, just too much stuff to think about…. Go back to bed…."

Odd nodded and silently drifted back off to sleep….

He wished that life was as simple for him, but maybe someday he'd be able to tell his friends, and Yumi, the truth…. Henry Stern was alive and living in his twin's shoes….

_**A/N: Definitely not where it first started to go. XD I'd actually planned this to be some sort of explanation of Ulrich's past and why his father had such high expectations (which the reason there was because Henry and Anna were better) but it changed into him living a lie.**_

_** VERY IMPORTANT!: First, I'd like to say there might be a sequel. =3 Now, to make sure that you all understand. In the flashback portions of the story we're seeing the story mainly from Henry's eyes or his mother's. Henry refers to himself as Ulrich, because that's what he's been called since Ulrich and Anna's deaths. His father didn't want to let his star son go and so pretended that Henry was the one that died and Ulrich lived, so since the fire that was caused by Jonah Henry was forced to live as his twin brother. Through all of this Henry would never get to learn what he was meant to do in life. He had to do what Ulrich would have done to try and get some kind of approval from his father, which he craved.**_

_** Henry did what he did (as in taking Ulrich's place) because he wanted that approval from his father. If he had to be Ulrich, then so be it. He just wanted his father to pay attention to and love him like he did Anna and Ulrich.**_

_** So, I hope that wasn't too incredibly confusing. XD If you need a better explanation PM me. =3**_

_** Read and review! (though I know I'll probably only get about three or five….)**_

_** ~MoonlitxAngel**_


	2. Truth in His Eyes

_**Truth in his Eyes**_

_** Sequel to Replacement**_

Ulrich rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes, watching the events of his twin's and sister's death playing over and over again in his mind…. How his father had screamed for his other son…. How his twin brother had looked at him with a look of pure terror as his body began to burn…. He'd asked Jeremie at breakfast and he'd found that his siblings had been in pain from the fire for ten seconds before they couldn't feel it any longer…. Those ten seconds had felt like an hour to him and must have felt much longer to his deceased brother and sister….

"Ulrich, please open your book and pay attention," Mrs. Hertz told him, walking over and hovering over him.

He mumbled something that no one else could hear.

"What was that, Mr. Stern?" she asked, her voice taking an irritated tone.

"Ulrich's dead, he died a long time ago…" he muttered again, loud enough for only Mrs. Hertz to hear.

She stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before telling Ulrich to go out in the hallway.

As he stood up kids 'ooh'd' thinking that he was going to get in trouble, but that wasn't the case.

"Explain yourself. What did you mean?" she asked, looking over the top of her glasses at him.

Ulrich leaned against the wall and slid down so he was sitting, holding his legs to his chest. "I'm not Ulrich Stern…. Ulrich was my twin brother…. When we were younger my older sister's boyfriend tried to set the house on fire, starting with Ulrich and my older sister. He killed them…. He murdered them and then just ran away! Leaving me to watch as my twin brother and older sister burned! You don't know what it's like to see the look on a sibling's face and see behind that look that they know they're going to die…. He knew when he looked over at me that he was going to die…. He looked like he was sorry that he couldn't be there for me anymore….

"Dad always liked Ulrich better. Ulrich was athletic and Anna, my sister, could paint and was really good at photography. They were both so gifted and Dad didn't want to lose Ulrich. He would have preferred that I had died…. Dad started pretending that I was Ulrich after he died. He never called me by name, it was always Ulrich. If I tried to correct him he'd berate me and tell me to stop it, because my brother was dead. When I talked to Mom about it she said that Dad hasn't accepted Ulrich's death and might never accept it, but until he does I have to pretend to be my brother, because Dad's sanity was on the line…."

Mrs. Hertz stood there dumbstruck before going back into the classroom. He could hear her speaking and then it was really quiet again.

Ulrich got up from where he was sitting and started walking away from the classroom. He couldn't be there right now…. His transcript was all wrong. Everything about him wasn't right. He wasn't meant to be good at sports, but he was able to learn to do well. He wasn't meant to be some artistic genius, either. He still wasn't sure what he was made to do. It wasn't just something that he knew like Anna or the real Ulrich had. He had to look for his.

Letting his feet carry him he wound up outside the Hermitage. It was a good place to hide that protected him from the elements. At the Hermitage he didn't have to be someone he wasn't. He could be Henry Stern, the boy who was good at nothing. He could be himself and not have to worry about people judging him or not understand his situation. He could be Henry and it didn't matter.

Seconds, minutes, and hours passed and still he didn't feel like leaving. Maybe someone would come looking for him. Looking for Henry Stern….

Walking up the stairs he stood in front of the mirror. "I can't visit your grave, so this is the next best thing…. Ulrich, I don't know what to do…. I'm tired of pretending to be you. I'm tired of pretending to be this brave, athletic, superhero that Dad actually likes. I want to be me and not someone that I'm not…. Why did you have to die…? Why couldn't you have been the hero by going and getting Mom and Dad instead of protecting Anna? Now, because of what you did, I have to suffer everyday living in your shadow…."

"Ulrich…?" he heard someone whisper hesitantly behind him.

Turning around he saw that it was Aelita.

"Ulrich, are you alright? You've been gone for hours and everyone's worried…" Aelita whispered, taking a few steps toward him.

"Leave me alone," he stated, not looking at her and staring into the mirror at his face. No, his brother's face. That's all it was. This face was his brother's face and that's all anyone would see it as. It belonged to Ulrich. This life belonged to Ulrich and Henry didn't deserve to be living it….

"I won't do that. Something's bothering you and I'm worried about you," she stated, coming over and making him look over at her. "You're you and nothing can change that, okay? I don't know what you were talking about before, but no matter what there's nothing that can change the fact that we're your friends and that we care about you."

"It's not that, Aelita. It's just that I'm not who you think I am. I'm not Ulrich Stern and I've never been Ulrich Stern. I was born Henry Johan Stern, the oldest of the two of us even if I acted like the younger. My twin brother was Ulrich. He's dead, Aelita. He died a long time ago…. You don't even know Ulrich. You don't even know the real me, so how can you say that we're friends? You don't know the truth about me and neither do the others. Even my own father can't stand the fact that I'm the only one of his three children that lived. He pretends that I'm my brother and I can't do anything otherwise. That's why he's so hard on me. Ulrich was a great athlete and he was great in school and Anna was an amazing artist and then there was me. Stupid old Henry Stern who he couldn't even bother to give the time of day," Ulrich said the last part through clenched teeth, kicking the wall. "I was nothing to him and still am nothing to him, because I'm not good enough as me."

Aelita was speechless. She didn't really know what to do or say to comfort him. Here he was, someone stuck in another's shoes and yet there was nothing that could be done or said that could make it better unless they could convince his father to treat him as Henry and not Ulrich.

"See? You don't understand. Just go, Aelita…."

Aelita knew that in this situation Odd or Yumi would have smacked Ulrich and told him off, but she knew that he needed her to be understanding, not forceful.

"I do understand. It's just a lot to take in. Did you pay attention in class when we were reading Shakespeare? If I remember correctly it was the balcony scene. Looking at it you can see that Romeo is asking Juliet what exactly a name is then proceeds to tell her that a name is a name and that's all. A rose is a rose whether you call it something else or not. It's still going to be the same rose that it was. Same for you and me. You may be called Ulrich, but you're still Henry inside. When Jeremie found me he called me Maya, but no matter what I was still Aelita. I'm me and you're you. Names are just used to identify person from person. It would be horrible if we were all named Alex. Then how would we identify one Alex from the other without having to point or explain which Alex we were referring to? We wouldn't be able to.

"No matter what, you're still Henry Johan Stern on the inside. Nothing can change that. No matter what you're called you're still always going to be Henry. You weren't born with the talent to play sports like your brother, but it's an accomplishment that he didn't get to feel proud for. You, on the other hand, worked hard to get to the point that you're at now and the skill level you've reached. Your brother wouldn't have been able to say the same. He just took to it. You can compare it to Odd working hard and earning A's. Jeremie and I wouldn't have that feeling of accomplishment that Odd would get, because we've both never gone from straight D's to getting an A.

"When Yumi gets married she's going to lose her last name and take on the last name of her husband. Does that matter? No. Names are names no matter how you analyze it. Just because you're called Ulrich Stern, doesn't mean that you're not still Henry Stern," she said, finally finishing her drawn out speech and waiting for his response. She knew that in some places she'd rambled, but hoped that her point got across.

"It's not that simple, Aelita…. Underneath everything there's still the fact that everyone thinks that I was the one that died and that my dad thinks that I'm the one that died, because he didn't want to lose his star son. It's that I can't be Henry, because being Ulrich has to come first to keep my dad happy. He could kick me out or disown me or something if I don't do what he wants me to. My hands are tied at being me, because of what he wants. Unless Mom and Dad get a divorce I'm stuck being Ulrich Stern inside and out."

"Do you like playing soccer?"

Ulrich hesitated, but nodded.

"Do you like practicing Pencak Silat?"

Again he nodded.

"And you like Yumi, too, right?" she asked, watching him.

Another nod.

"See? That's already three things that you, as Henry, like. Ulrich liked all sports and you specifically like soccer. You've worked hard to get to the skill level you're at right now. You like Pencak Silat and you like Yumi. Ulrich didn't know Yumi and from the sounds of what he was like as a child she wouldn't be his type. So you still are Henry on the inside."

Odd sat on his bed petting Kiwi. It was later in the afternoon and when Ulrich and Aelita had returned from the forest it looked like there was some kind of new understanding between the two and Odd wanted to know why.

"Hey Odd, everyone's going to the park today since it's nice out. You coming?" Jeremie came and asked him.

"Everyone? Ulrich and Aelita, too?" he asked, looking over at the blond genius, hoping that they were coming, so that he could find out what had transpired between his two friends.

"Yeah, I just needed to ask you. We're all meeting at the Hermitage and then we're gonna head out to the park from there," Jeremie explained stepping into the dorm and closing the door.

Odd moved so he was facing Jeremie and studied the genius's face. There was something bothering him.

"You don't think that Aelita and Ulrich are together now, right?" Jeremie said after a short pause.

Odd tried to stifle a laugh. "No, I don't think they are. Aelita is head over heels for you and Ulrich is in love with Yumi. I think that something happened between them that brought them closer as friends and that's all. Aelita would never leave you."

Jeremie looked visibly a bit more at ease and then nodded. "Let's head to the Hermitage."

(*)(*)(*)(*) A Little While Later at the Park (*)(*)(*)(*)

It wasn't ideal, but they were all hanging out together. Yumi and Ulrich were leaned up against a tree talking, Jeremie and Aelita were looking at different plants, and Odd was playing with Kiwi. It was nice weather out and so it was a good day to be outside.

When Odd looked again, though, Ulrich and Aelita were talking to each other in hushed tones and Ulrich looked worried. It seemed like tension was building in the group. Jeremie was over-worried that Aelita was going to leave him and Yumi was tense because she knew that Ulrich wasn't telling her something. Of course, Odd was worried about Ulrich. He didn't normally act this way and they seemed like they were hiding some big secret that the rest of them couldn't know.

It was much later that Ulrich cleared his throat and got everyone's attention.

Once everyone was looking at him he spoke.

"I know you guys have been wondering what's up with me. I wish I had the time to tell you the whole and complete story, but I don't think I do. My name isn't Ulrich Stern. It's Henry Johan Stern. We were born twins and when we were younger our older sister's boyfriend accidentally set fire to the house, killing Ulrich and my sister in the process. My dad treats me as if I'm supposed to be Ulrich and not Henry. I'm not naturally gifted at sports and so I have to try hard. My dad would always tell me that I was lucky to be alive. He wanted Ulrich alive and so he pretended that I was the one that died. I'm sorry I never told you guys, but it bothered me. I need to be left alone for awhile…." He quickly walked off and toward the Factory.

The sun was setting and Ulrich was watching from his seat on top of the Factory. The cool wind help calm his nerves.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Odd asked, coming up and sitting down next to him.

"I guess…. What Aelita told me earlier today helped a bit. It's just… I feel like I'm letting myself down. I can't learn who I was meant to be if I'm stuck playing Ulrich, y'know?" he asked, turning toward the blonde.

"Yeah, but think about it this way. If you'd stayed Henry, from what Aelita's told me, you never would have met us. Xana probably would stayed dormant in that computer and Aelita with it. From the way Aelita described the real Ulrich, he wouldn't have talked to Jeremie. _You_ were there to talk to Jeremie and find out about the supercomputer. Maybe that was your purpose. To take Ulrich's place so that Jeremie could fulfill his purpose. Same for me. I probably wouldn't be around without you. No one except for you guys talked to me. Sure I stand up to Sissi, but if I didn't have you guys I wouldn't have been able to stay doing that. So what if you're taking your brother's place? None of us care whether you're Henry or Ulrich and you shouldn't either. Henry or Ulrich, you're still you. You're still my best friend."

"Thanks Odd…."

"Anytime."

_**A/N: Sucky ending, but oh well. xD Hope you enjoyed this! Took forever to type. =3**_

_** ~MoonlitxAngel**_


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